FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

Zimbabwe President Mnangagwa in China, with 80 Business Heads, Seeks Economic Deals

April 3, 2018 (EIRNS)—President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa is on a five-day official visit to China, April 2-6, his first state visit of his Presidency, outside Africa. He met with Chinese President Xi Jinping today. Mnangagwa, who is accompanied by First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, met several Cabinet ministers and private sector executives, and will also meet officials of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese business community according to Zimbabwe daily The Herald. The Chronicle’s Harare bureau reported yesterday that President Mnangagwa’s delegation included some 80 private sector executives, as well as 10 Cabinet members.

The Zimbabwean President will also visit the provinces of Anhui and Zhejiang to meet with the political leadership and the business community. Several economic and business deals are expected to be signed. The director of Platinum Agriculture and

Princewood Enterprises, Dakarayi Mapuranga, who is in China with the President, said his company had secured $500 million worth of deals in agriculture, mining and transport sectors. These include a $400 million deal with China’s Lovol company that produces heavy machinery for agriculture and mining, and an $80 million deal for the supply of irrigation equipment, including center-pivot and drip irrigation systems.

Dayu, the Chinese-listed firm which clinched the deal, will soon be in Zimbabwe to assess specific irrigation requirements and technology applicable to that country. “They [Dayu] need to know our specific needs and the Ministry of Agriculture has already identified farms where the equipment will be installed,” said Mapuranga.

“Our thrust is to support initiatives ... to ensure farmers are supported with the machinery they need. This will help bring Zimbabwe back to its breadbasket status.”

A deal was also signed with Allen Bus for 1,500 buses to ease transport challenges in the capital, Harare, and other towns. Some 500 buses will be imported fully assembled, and the remaining 1,000 will be imported as kits to be assembled in Zimbabwe.